Bride of Frankenstein, The
| running time = 75 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $397,000 | gross revenue = Unknown | preceded by = Frankenstein (1931) | followed by = Son of Frankenstein (1939) }} The Bride of Frankenstein is an American feature film of the horror and science fiction genres. It is the direct sequel to the 1931 film Frankenstein, which is an adaptation of the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by English author Mary Shelley. Aspects of this film is adapted from the novel as well. The movie was directed by James Whale, who directed the first feature, with a screenplay adapted by John Balderston and William Hurlbut. It was produced by Universal Pictures and released theatrically in the United States on April 22nd, 1935. The Bride of Frankenstein sees the return of Colin Clive in the role of tortured mad scientist Henry Frankenstein, with Boris Karloff once again reprising the role of the Frankenstein Monster. The character of Elizabeth Frankenstein is now played by Valerie Hobson, replacing Mae Clarke from the first film. A new character is added to the Frankenstein mythos in the form of Doctor Pretorius, who is played by actor Ernest Thesiger. Then, of course, there's also the matter of the Bride of Frankenstein herself, who oddly receives very little screen time, and only at the end of the movie. The Bride is played by Elsa Lanchester, who also plays the role of Mary Shelley in the film's framing sequence. Cast Notes & Trivia * The tagline to this film is, "Who will be the Bride of Frankenstein? Who will dare?" * Principal filming on The Bride of Frankenstein began on January 2nd, 1935 and concluded on March 7th. * This is the first of two films that Edmund Pearson works on. He is a contributing writer on this film, and is the screenplay co-writer on Werewolf of London - also released in 1935. * Elsa Lanchester plays both Mary Shelley in the beginning of the movie and the Monster's mate at the end of the film. She is only credited as Shelley in the closing credits. The Monster's mate is credited as "?". * Boris Karloff reprises his role as the Monster in this film. He will also play him for a third and final time in Son of Frankenstein. * The opening preamble between Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley is based upon an actual event that took place in 1816 in which the three of them, as well as John William Polidori and Claire Clairmont spent an evening on Lake Geneva where Shelley was first inspired to write her novel Frankenstein. This affair formed the basis of the 1986 Ken Russell film Gothic. * Doctor Pretorius is the only character in the film to refer to the Monster's Mate as the Bride of Frankenstein. * The Bride of Frankenstein was partially remade as The Bride in 1985. Actress Jennifer Beals played the role of the Monster's Mate and was given the name Eva. The film presupposes that both the Monster and the Bride survived the explosion that originally claimed them in James Whale's film. * The scene where the Monster meets the blind hermit was lampooned in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Young Frankenstein. Also in the film, Madeline Kahn is seen wearing the distinctive hairstyle of the Bride of Frankenstein. * The 1989 horror/comedy Bride of Re-Animator borrows heavily from this story. The premise of the film shows Doctor Herbert West and his reluctant assistant Dan Cain reconstructing a female body from spare parts, using the heart of Dan's late lover, Megan Halsey as the battery for the creature, working under the belief that Meg's consciousness could be revived through her heart. Naturally, everything goes awry and frenetic reanimate chaos ensues. * The Bride of Frankenstein was briefly featured in the 1998 slasher/comedy Bride of Chucky and served as an inspiration for both the film and co-star Jennifer Tilly's character, Tiffany. In the film, Tiffany watches the climax from The Bride of Frankenstein and is greatly moved by the scene, feeling that it is a great, if tragic, love story. * Another pastiche of the Bride is the character of Lisa from the 1985 John Hughes comedy Weird Science. Teenagers Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) create their own woman using incantations, candles, a doll, womens' undergarments and computer equipment. Video and audio clips from The Bride of Frankenstein are incorporated into the film. Colin Clive's infamous line "She's alive!" is mixed into the "Weird Science" theme song by Ira Newborn. Recommendations See also External Links * * * * * The Bride of Frankenstein at Wikipedia * * * Category:Films Category:1935 films Category:2nd installments Category:Black and white films Category:Frankenstein films Category:Universal Pictures Category:Robert Florey Category:William Hurlbut Category:Ernest Thesiger Category:Boris Karloff/Films Category:John Carradine